


Advisory Board

by sarahenany, Thursday26



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21779056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahenany/pseuds/sarahenany, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thursday26/pseuds/Thursday26
Summary: Fix-it fic for the fight in Season Two. Yachi happens to tell Kageyama that Hinata was crying. He asks Oikawa and Iwaizumi for advice and ends up apologizing in his clumsy Kageyama way.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 27
Kudos: 205





	Advisory Board

“I’m so happy you and Hinata-kun are okay now!”

Tobio cuts his eyes at little Yachi-san as he stands on the edge of the court, having a drink of water. She’s been tossing balls to him in the deserted gym. He doesn’t know why she’s decided to strike up a conversation with him. He knows she really likes Hinata, but then, everyone really likes Hinata. So why is she talking to _him?_ Is it because he smiled at her this morning?

“It was so awful when you weren’t talking,” Yachi-san says, and Tobio concentrates on his water, not particularly wanting to remember that time. “And to see him crying.”

Something jolts through Tobio and he pauses, water bottle still to his lips. “I’ve never seen him that way before,” Yachi-san says. Heart thundering, he lowers the bottle and looks at her, gazing down at the floor, her hands twisting together. “He was so sad and I... I didn’t know what to do... he’s helped me so much and I felt useless.”

Tobio can’t breathe. _Hinata Shouyou, his_ Hinata, _crying?_ He has to clear his throat before he can say, “Excuse me?”

Yachi-san looks up at him, her eyes widening. “I said, I felt useless…”

Tobio strides over to her. She takes a step back and lets out a squeak. “What did you say?!” he thunders. “About him crying?! Is that true?!!”

It makes him angrier the way she reminds him of Hinata, so short and wide-eyed and trembling all over as he stares down at her. “I-I-He didn’t mean me to see it! I just c-c-caught a glimpse of him i-in tears as he was cycling off…”

 _Oh fuck, he was crying. Oh fuck, oh fuck oh fuck._ His chest is trying to wrench itself apart, twisted into knots. Tobio leans in close. “Tell me,” he growls, “exactly what you saw.”

“Please don’t kill me!” squeaks Yachi-san.

“I’m not going to kill you!” Tobio shouts. “Just tell me what happened!”

“He - he – he said, ‘Kageyama wasn’t just the f-f-first f-friend I ever had, he was-was a p-partner’,” Yachi-san stammers out.

“WAS?!” Tobio hears himself roaring. “He said ‘was’?!!”

“Y-y-y-y…” Yachi-san swallows, “and-and then he got on his bike and went home and he was crying as he was riding and I was so scared he’d have an accident and I didn’t know what to DO!”

Oh god, oh god oh god. Hinata riding home in tears and it’s just sheer luck he didn’t have an accident or get hit by a car or something. Oh shit. Tobio spins on his heel and storms out of the gym.

* * *

He doesn’t feel like practicing any more that evening. The walk to the bus stop vents some of his anger. But why is he even angry? It was weeks ago! And they’re _fine_ now! The new quick is working, Tobio worked out the new toss, they’re talking again. Why should Yachi-san’s words make him feel this way? What is it he’s even feeling? It’s dumb to feel bad about something that’s over and done with!

He gets home that night repeating over and over to himself, “we’re fine now, we’re fine now, we’re fine now.”

But it won’t go away.

No matter how much Tobio repeats to himself that they’re fine, the words keep replaying through his head as he lies down to sleep. “He wasn’t just the first friend I ever made... He was a partner.” And that past tense, like someone died... It’s _bothering_ him. And he doesn’t understand why.

He wakes up the next morning and it should be _better,_ but it _isn’t._ His chest is still all _swoop_ at the thought of Hinata crying. It’s… not what he imagines when he sees Hinata. He’s positive Yachi-san wasn’t lying… why should she? But that only makes it worse. But. They. Are. Fine!!! Why is he worrying about something that’s _over?!!_

It’s the weekend. He doesn’t want to see anyone today, certainly not Hinata, so he sits on the futon instead of going to practice. Brooding, his ex-teammates would say. Fat lot they know. Not like he could ask them for advice. Well, he _could,_ but he _can’t._

Who _can_ he ask for advice?

Suga-san is cool, but he’d be embarrassed to ask him, never mind anyone less approachable. And what would he say, anyway? “I can’t sleep because I keep thinking of Hinata crying?!” Yeah, real smooth, Tobio, go down a treat. Make your new team really love you. Look like a bigger drama queen than Azumane-san.

There is one person he could ask. One with whom he doesn’t have to risk losing face. What’s the worst he can do, laugh at Tobio? He does that already. And at least he already knows about Tobio’s fight with Hinata. _And,_ he thinks, _even if it is embarrassing, it’s gotta be better than feeling whatever this is in my chest all the time._

* * *

So Tobio finds himself, a couple of hours later, taking the bus to a convenience store he knows Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san always go to after practice. He’s not 100% positive he’ll run into them there, but they used to be his senpais after all, so there’s a better-than-average chance. Like, they never missed a weekend all the time he was in middle school. Still, he’s not _certain…_ they could have changed their habits when they went to Seijoh…

His heart thuds when he walks through the door. They’re right there, like he never left junior high, standing at one of the small high tables the store has set up for people to stand at while they have their coffee or drinks. Iwaizumi-san sees him first and smiles politely, whispering to Oikawa-san, who looks up. Oikawa-san’s eyebrows rise, but only for an instant: then he settles into the cool, bored smile he always affects. Tobio doesn’t give himself time to hesitate. He walks up to the pair of them and bows. He’s blurting out, “Oikawa-san, can I talk to you about something?” before he’s fully straightened up.

Oikawa’s indolent smirk doesn’t waver. “Well, you’re already talking to me...”

Iwaizumi elbows him. “Be nice.”

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa-san says in what can only be described as a whine. “I bruise easily!”

“Don’t be a dick,” Iwaizumi-san mutters.

“Okay, what do you want, Tobio? I already gave you my advice the other day for free. Any more and I’ll have to charge you.” Iwaizumi-san elbows Oikawa again. “Mean!”

“Please continue, Kageyama-kun,” Iwaizumi says smoothly.

Tobio feels his heart thud. “Remember when I told you about...” he begins, addressing Oikawa-san. But it isn’t the same thing, is it? “No, that’s not…” He shakes his head in frustration. “Agh! This doesn’t make sense!”

“No, it doesn’t, Tobio,” Oikawa-san drawls, “but when have you ever made sense?”

 _“Tooru!”_ Iwaizumi-san reproaches.

“Well, he ISN’T making sense!” says Oikawa defensively.

Iwaizumi-san remains impassive. “You’re not helping.” He nods to Tobio encouragingly. “Slowly, from the beginning, Kageyama-kun.”

Tobio takes a deep breath. He might as well start at the beginning. “I had a fight with my...” He stops, tripped up on what to call him. Why did he call Hinata ‘my’, anyway? What was he going to finish that sentence with? My what? My middle? There are two of them. My partner? They’re not partners…

He’s still choking on what to call Hinata when Oikawa cuts in. “With Chibi-chan?”

That snaps Tobio out of it. “With _Hinata-san._ Yes. And we made it up and everything but... but...” He’s feeling like a prize idiot now. He just has no clue what to say.

“Well, since you made it up, why are you coming crying to me?”

Iwaizumi-san frowns. “ _Tooru!”_ He looks back at Tobio, and honestly in that moment Tobio’s glad he’s there. Respectfully, Iwaizumi-san clarifies, “You had a fight with Hinata-san?”

Tobio’s surprised. He knows they tell each other everything. “Yes... Oikawa-san didn’t tell you?”

“No. He told me that you begged him for advice,” Iwaizumi-san tilts his head toward Oikawa, “and showed me a picture where he looks stupid.”

 _“Mean!”_ Oikawa-san pouts. “I told you my nephew took that picture!”

Iwaizumi-san’s head remains tilted, his posture perfectly still. “Is that what’s really important right now?”

“I can’t believe you said I looked stupid! I was _blurry!”_

Iwaizumi-san rolls his eyes. “So you had a fight with Hinata-san, and this guy,” he jerks his head sideways, “actually gave you advice? I don’t believe you.”

“Hey!” Oikawa-san folds his arms. “I give excellent advice.”

Iwaizumi snorts.

“Iwa-chan, why are you so _mean_ to me??”

Tobio decides he’s been polite long enough, and interrupts. “Yes, me and Hinata-san had a fight, but we resolved it and things are okay... or well,” he remembers the reason he’s here, “at least I thought they were okay...” That sinking feeling settles cold in his chest again. He bursts out, desperate, “But I don’t know what to _do!”_

“I thought you said things were okay?” Iwaizumi-san takes a swallow of his juice. “Sounds like there’s something still bothering you.” He cuts his eyes at Oikawa. “Was it Trashykawa’s bad advice that backfired?”

“In no way,” Oikawa-san retorts, “did my advice make anything worse!”

Tobio has to admit that’s true. If Oikawa-san hadn’t told him to “give the shrimp the exact tosses he wants,” Tobio would have been stuck in what he hates to think of as his ‘king’ mode, and never gotten better. “His advice was good...” he falters.

Oikawa-san looks triumphantly at his friend. “SEE?!”

Iwaizumi-san rolls his eyes. “Even a blind chicken finds a kernel,” he shrugs. Oikawa just looks offended.

Tobio shakes his head, wondering where to start. The beginning didn’t work, so… Maybe with what Yachi-san said? “There was a girl...”

Oikawa-san smirks. “A _girl!”_ He looks like a cat about to tuck into a particularly delicious dish of cream.

“Shut up!” hisses Iwaizumi.

Oikawa-san actually _wiggles his eyebrows._ “This girl must be a real cutie,” he sing-songs.

“What?” Tobio has to take a moment to reconcile ‘cutie’ with Yachi-san. “No. The girl is our manager.”

“Ah,” Oikawa-san says seriously. “Well, I don’t blame you. Your manager is very attractive.”

“Not that manager! The _other_ manager!”

Oikawa-san’s smile gives way to a leer. “You have two girl managers? Time for us to change schools, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi facepalms. “Go on, Kageyama-kun.”

“Yeah... so our manager told me about something that happened the night we had that fight...” Suddenly, Tobio can’t meet their eyes and he looks down at the tabletop, feeling his shoulders hunch up. “She said... she uh... she said he was crying.”

“Who? Chibi-chan?”

“Yeah.” It’s kind of personal to say, and he wonders if he shouldn’t have said it. But it’s too late now, so he goes on. “And when she said that, it was...” Tobio runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “I don’t understand! It’s like everything _changed!_ I have this weird feeling _here,”_ he thumps at his chest, the closest he can get to what he’s feeling, “and it doesn’t make any sense because we’re _fine!_ We made up! But all I ever want is to see him smile! And thinking of him crying...” He shakes his head. “I don’t _understand!”_ he blurts out. “And I don’t know what to _do!”_

When he dares to look up at the pair, Oikawa-san’s got a light in his eyes like he’s just made a great discovery. Good, maybe he knows the solution to the mystery. Oikawa-san smiles, slowly, but before he can open his mouth, Iwaizumi says, “Shut up.”

Oikawa-san’s mouth drops open in protest. “I didn’t even _say_ anything!”

Iwaizumi-san is impassive. “Shut up. No. You don’t get to talk.”

“Iwa-chaaan!” Oikawa-san wails. “I deserve this!”

“No, absolutely not. He might not know you’re being mean, but I know you’re a piece of shit. So shut up.”

Tobio’s used to their byplay, but he has to wonder if they’re talking about him as Oikawa-san complains, “How dare you! I’m always nice!”

Iwaizumi-san stands up straighter and meets Tobio’s eyes. “I think you have a crush on your teammate.”

Tobio blinks. “What? Who? Which teammate?”

“Iwa-chan, he’s making it too easy!”

“Shut up.” To Tobio, Iwaizumi-san says, “I mean Hinata-kun. You have a crush on him.”

Tobio feels himself go pale, then his face is suddenly _burning._ A… _crush?_ On _Hinata?_ That’s crazy! “W-Wha?!” he manages to stammer. “N-No!” What? A crush? On… What?

“You couldn’t even tease him for a moment?” Oikawa-san whines.

“No.” Iwaizumi-san’s clearly brooking no argument. “He’s just as thick as you are, so I needed to be blunt.”

Oikawa-san looks offended and… Tobio would almost say _pouting._ “Well, now it’s no fun. Thanks a lot. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you big meanie.”

Tobio can’t listen to them, can’t think beyond what Iwaizumi-san said. But a crush is supposed to feel _good!_ At least that’s what he’s heard. It shouldn’t be like an ache in his chest, should it? That doesn’t make any sense! “But... why am I feeling this here?” he manages to say, waving his hand at his chest. “It kind of hurts! Is this what a crush feels like?”

“You said,” Oikawa-san says seriously, “your manager told you about a time when you hurt Hinata-kun’s feelings.”

Tobio’s completely mystified by this point. “I... She said he was... Feelings?” They fought, and then he can’t remember much through the adrenaline rush. “Uhh... I uh…”

“Yeah, his feelings, Tobio,” Oikawa-san nods. “I know you don’t exactly know what those are, but people have them and it sounds like you hurt them and now you feel bad.” He runs a hand over his face. “Although hearing that Chibi-chan was crying makes me uneasy and I don’t know why. It doesn’t feel right.”

Iwaizumi-san turns to Oikawa, an eyebrow raised. “Maybe you are somewhat decent under all that bullshit.”

“Iwa-chaaan!” Oikawa-san whines to his friend before looking at Tobio again. “Do you remember what you said to him?”

“Uhh... Said?” It’s honestly a bit of a blur, and it doesn’t help that the whole night is one he’d rather forget. “I don’t remember. After we fought... uh, I threw him off me and then...”

“You actually _fought_ him?” Oikawa-san bursts out.

Tobio feels his face heat. That is really not a good memory. “We didn’t like _hit_ each other, but I kinda threw him.. and like he tried with me…” He’s mumbling now. “…but he wasn’t strong enough...”

“I can’t believe I wasn’t there to see this!” Oikawa crows. “Someone actually got pissed off enough at you to hit you!”

 _“You_ were one of those people,” Iwaizumi-san says dryly.

Oikawa-san goes very silent. Into the silence, Tobio says awkwardly, “He didn’t _hit_ me. He just... grabbed me around my waist...”

Oikawa-san holds up a hand. “Wait, wait, wait. What?”

“To stop me from leaving.”

Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san exchange glances. “He was angry at you and actually wanted you to _stay?”_

Tobio shrugs. It does sound weird when they put it like that. “He wanted me to toss to him some more,” he explains, “but we weren’t getting it and it was stupid to continue.”

Oikawa-san gives Iwaizumi-san an exasperated look. “Do they ever think of anything _besides_ volleyball?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why was it stupid, Tobio-chan?” Oikawa presses. “Thought you’d have been all over that practicing thing, especially with your smaller half.”

Tobio shakes his head. It still stings. “He said he wanted to be able to do it on his own and... I don’t understand. I mean, why does he need to be able to do it on his own? I’m there to help him, right?”

There are a few moments of silence. Then Oikawa looks beseechingly at Iwaizumi-san. “Iwa-chan, _please.”_

“No. Shut up.” Iwaizumi turns from Oikawa-san to Tobio. When he speaks, his tone is calm and gentle. “Kageyama-kun. Why don’t you want him to be able to stand on his own?”

The words are shocking. Tobio feels his eyes go wide, his mouth drop open. Not want Hinata to stand on his own? That’s not true! He doesn’t want that! “I...” he stammers. “I don’t...”

“Then why’d you get so upset?”

Tobio’s blanking. He shakes his head. “I’m... not sure...” _not want him to stand on his own not want him to stand on his own not want him to stand on his own not want…_ He doesn’t _like_ this loop his mind is stuck in.

“Iwa-chaaan!” Oikawa-san whines.

Iwaizumi-san ignores him. He doesn’t break eye contact with Tobio. Still in that serious, gentle tone, he probes, “Are you scared that he won’t need you anymore?”

That hurts. _He won’t need you anymore_ is like cold lead in Tobio’s chest. Why does hearing it make him feel panicked? _Hinata spreading his wings and flying… leaving him behind…_ He shakes his head furiously against the chill. “He’s... we can do something no one else can! Why does he want to stand alone when we’re stronger together?!”

Iwaizumi-san sighs. “You really only have volleyball on the brain, huh?”

“You’re so stupid, Tobio,” Oikawa-san chimes in.

_“Tooru!”_

“Don’t say it isn’t true.” Oikawa-san leans forward, eyes blazing. “Why do you think I’m so amazing and my team is so amazing? We are all good separately, but those _individual_ strengths make us stronger _together_.”

Iwaizumi-san stares at Oikawa-san in shock. “What?” Oikawa-san says. “I told you, my advice is always good!”

Iwaizumi-san squints at him. “Did the aliens take you and replace you?”

“Shut up,” Oikawa-san retorts. To Tobio, he says, “Well, anyway, the good players, the best players, are always the ones that can stand strong alone. I can’t believe you wouldn’t want that for Chibi-chan! He works so hard.”

Iwaizumi-san stares at Oikawa-san as if he really has been replaced by an alien. “Did you just say that?”

“I can recognize hard work, Iwa-chan!”

And just like that, at the mention of ‘hard work’, the memory comes flooding back. “I remember!” Tobio cries out triumphantly. “I remember what I said! I told him I wouldn’t toss to him because he wasn’t essential to winning!”

Both of them stare at him. “Iwa-chan,” Oikawa begs, “please let me hit him.”

“And then,” Tobio waves his arms, “I threw him off me. And we fought some more and Tanaka-san ended up separating us. And, and then we went home.” He drags a hand over his face. He should be pleased to have repaired the hole in his memory, but it’s only made the ache in his chest _worse!_ “And now we’re fine, the new quick works great! So why can’t I get it out of my head that he was so sad when he went home!?”

“You _like_ him, baka!” Oikawa-san bursts out. “Did you even apologize to him?”

“I didn’t realize you knew what that word meant,” Iwaizumi-san mutters.

“I don’t _need_ to apologize, Iwa-chan. I’m never wrong.”

“Uh-huh.”

Tobio does his best to remember what happened to make it okay. “Uh… we… the quick worked and we high-fived and we were back in rhythm...”

Oikawa-san is staring. “But did you say the words ‘I’m sorry, Chibi-chan’?”

Tobio blinks. “For what?”

“For pushing him away. For saying what you said.”

“Why?” It’s over and done with, isn’t it? Maybe they don’t understand. “Everything’s back to normal.”

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says darkly, “you’re gonna have to hold me back.”

Iwaizumi-san snorts. “You’re gonna have to hold _me_ back.” To Tobio, he snaps, “Are you stupid?”

That kind of stings. Oikawa-san seems to realize it, because he tells Iwaizumi, “Hey, you don’t have to be so mean.”

Iwaizumi-san looks at Tobio very seriously. “I know you might not be able to believe it, but there is a separation between volleyball and real life.”

Tobio blinks. Volleyball _is_ real life… isn’t it?

“And, shockingly, even when volleyball is going well, there can still be problems in your personal life.”

“Uhhh…” Why would there be problems if volleyball is good? That’s his personal life… isn’t it? Volleyball isn’t school, is it?

“You and Hinata-kun,” Iwaizumi-san says slowly and maybe a little too loudly, “are more than what you are to each other on the court.”

Tobio’s head spins. What does that mean? But he knows, now. _The first friend I ever made… a partner…_ the words echo through his head. Hinata beside him, always there. Bright hazel eyes. A fire that sets the whole team alight. Wheeling that bike of his. Tobio can’t think of a day now without walking with Hinata, the top of his head bright orange at Tobio’s shoulder. Racing him in the mornings. Practicing with him in the evenings. Looking down to see that upturned sunny face. _A partner._ Hinata thinks of _him,_ of _Tobio,_ as a _partner._ He _wept_ at losing him. “Uhh…” It’s too much. Too much to think about. It feels like his head and chest are too full, like he’s going to burst. “What?” is all he can say.

“You. _Like_. Hinata-kun,” Iwaizumi says firmly.

Tobio drags in a shaky breath. “What?”

Iwaizumi-san nods, like Tobio’s actually said anything that makes sense. “That feeling you’re talking about? It’s because you’re _upset_ because you _like_ him and you don’t like that you _hurt_ _him_.”

 _I hurt him._ The thought makes that thing twist in Tobio’s chest. Sure, they fool around, but he’d never want to _hurt_ Hinata Shouyou. Never want to _let_ anyone hurt him. And _he’s_ the one who hurt him. Hinata was crying because he, Tobio, _hurt him._

Iwaizumi-san waits until Tobio gives a jerky nod to acknowledge his words. Then his voice softens. “And guess what? Even if he _can_ stand on his own, that doesn’t mean he’s about to leave you behind, and you need to give him more credit than that. Have faith in whatever is going on between you. Okay?”

Tobio isn’t breathing. _Have faith in whatever is going on between you. Whatever is going on between you… The first friend I ever made… A partner…_ Dumbly, he inclines his head.

“Okay. Good.” Iwaizumi-san claps his hands once. “So what you’re going to do is go find him and apologize to him directly. Okay?”

“Okay...” Tobio murmurs.

“I mean it. Right now. Go.”

“O-Okay.” Tobio backs away, then bows. It feels right. He holds the bow for a moment, then walks out without looking back.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi watch him leave. Oikawa eyes Iwaizumi, smirking. “I never knew you were so wise, Iwa-chan.”

“Shut up.”

* * *

Tobio bursts into the gym. It’s perfect: Hinata-kun is the only one there, Yachi-san tossing balls to him. When Yachi-san sees Tobio, she lets out a little squeak and goes pale. “Hinata-kun!” Tobio yells. “I want to talk to you!”

Hinata whispers something to Yachi-san, and she scurries out of the gym like she’s being chased. “What did you do to her this morning, dumbass?” Hinata frowns. “She said something I couldn’t make head or tail of and basically it was that you terrified her!”

Tobio stops for an instant. He doesn’t remember terrifying Yachi-san: all he remembers is asking her for information. “I didn’t…”

“Yeah, you did, and you’re gonna have to apologize to her! You know she’s sensitive!”

“Apologize!” That’s it! That’s what he’s here to do! “I’m sorry it’s volleyball isn’t real life and sometimes personal stuff isn’t, but like I feel it in my chest and I shouldn’t have said it, and Iwaizumi-san said shit I never even realized and I didn’t _mean_ to not stand on your own so I’m really sorry Hinata-kun.” Credit where credit’s due. “And Oikawa-san gave me good advice.”

Hinata’s eyes widen. He takes a step toward Tobio, looking worried. “Uhh… want to run that by me again? Slowly?”

“Shit.” Tobio runs a hand over his face. Seeing his little partner is making his chest and stomach feel _stupid_ things he probably wouldn’t be feeling if Oikawa – or was it Iwaizumi? – hadn’t put _ideas_ into his head. “Yachi-san told me what you said and I’m really sorry.”

Hinata-kun tilts his head. “What I said? When?”

Tobio looks down at the polished floor. “The night we uh. Fought. She uh… she said you said…” He can feel himself blushing beet red. “That I was uh, a friend. And,” he almost chokes on the word, “a partner.” Only now does he realize he’s Hinata’s partner, too. But it took hearing Yachi-san’s words to know it.

“Oh!” Hinata’s smile is dazzling, as usual. “Don’t worry about it. Things are fine now.”

“No, things are _not_ fine!” Tobio bursts out. “Because my chest feels all funny! Because you were _crying!”_

It’s Hinata’s turn to look at the floor. “She uh, told you that too, huh?”

“Yes, she did. And I’m really sorry, Hinata-kun, I’m an asshole for making you cry, I never meant any of it. I never…” He grips Hinata by the shoulders and Hinata looks up at him, wide eyes full of surprise. “You’re my partner too! She told me how you said I _was_ your partner, that I _was_ your friend, like – like I’d died!” He knows he’s shouting and someone passing by would probably think they’re fighting again, but he doesn’t know how to act any different. “I don’t _want_ to not be your partner! I don’t _want_ to not be your friend!”

The way Hinata’s face lights up is like the sunrise. “I know that, Bakageyama.”

“But I made you _sad!”_ Tobio doesn’t like looking down at Hinata right now, so he releases his shoulders and drops to his knees. It doesn’t make him _that_ much shorter than Hinata. “I – I don’t like thinking of you sad.” He meets Hinata’s eyes. “I don’t want you to be sad. Not ever.”

“Hey.” Hinata smiles softly. Then he reaches out and palms Tobio’s cheek, and it makes _something_ thrill all down his body. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” Tobio’s muscle memory is recalling how he pushed Hinata away, threw him down, told him so coldly that he wasn’t necessary to winning… “I didn’t _mean_ it, okay? I need you to know I didn’t mean any of the shit I said or did, and I wish I could take it back…”

“Okay.” Hinata’s smile fades and his face hardens, uncharacteristically serious. “I’m not mad anymore. But I do wanna know what it was that made _you_ so mad. I didn’t understand. I kind of still don’t.” He swallows. “If I did something to – uh, to make you mad, or whatever, I’d like to know not to do it again.” His calm demeanor flickers, just for an instant. “Not talking to you wasn’t exactly fun.”

“It wasn’t you. I swear, it wasn’t you.” Tobio grasps Hinata’s elbows. He doesn’t know what he’s saying anymore, his mouth running on instinct without passing by his brain. “It was just… You said you wanted to open your eyes, and I went a little crazy. It was like losing what made me special. It always made me feel like I was special to feel you trusted me a hundred percent. Nobody ever put that much trust in me before.” Damn, now he’s laid himself open and said stuff he didn’t even know himself. Nice going, Tobio, vomiting out your feelings all over the floor.

Hinata’s hands come up to clasp Tobio’s upper arms, his eyes wide and serious. “I still do, dumbass. I trust you a hundred percent.”

The words heal him. “Say it again,” he says without shame.

“I trust you a hundred percent, Kageyama-kun,” Hinata repeats. His smile is soft, not blazing noon but sunrise. “Always.”

“Then why did you want to…” Tobio chokes on it, but forces the words out, “to not need me?”

Hinata’s jaw drops. “Is _that_ what you thought?” The irrepressible energy that is Hinata’s hallmark seems suddenly to have coalesced into his heart, shining in his face and in his eyes. And that smile is back, like the sun. “I’ll never not need you, Bakageyama.”

“But then why…”

“Because _I_ need to be someone you can trust a hundred percent, too.”

The statement shocks him. It really is that simple. And he’s been an _idiot._

“I do trust you, I do,” Tobio says, and then he’s crying like a fool. “I’m sorry I didn’t want you to be stronger. I thought you were going to leave me behind. I was wrong, I was a dumbass…”

“So what else is new?” Hinata-kun grins. Then he steps toward Tobio and then he’s got his arms around Tobio’s shoulders and Tobio’s face is buried in Hinata’s middle. And Tobio is clinging to Hinata like he’s drowning and Hinata is his only chance of survival.

“I love you,” he blurts into Hinata’s shirt. Then he freezes. _Damn_ Oikawa-san or Iwaizumi-san or whichever idiot of the two of them put these _ideas_ into his head, he was perfectly _fine_ before, and now he’s going to ruin his relationship with the only person he’s ever called partner.

And Hinata slides down so he’s on his knees, too, and the intensity and brilliance of the sun are in his gaze. His smile could light up the world, and his face is safety in a storm, it’s knowing your way when you’re lost, it’s everything Tobio never knew he needed. He’s been living in the dark for so long he’s forgotten what it’s like to touch the light. “Me too. I love you, Bakageyama,” Hinata says with that dazzling smile and he launches himself into Tobio’s arms and Tobio’s face is buried in Hinata’s hair and he’s _home._ Tobio’s lost control of his mouth completely, and he’s babbling confessions of love and apologies and promises never to make him cry ever again and all sorts of meaningless nonsense, and Hinata’s little wiry arms are around him and _God_ he’s anchored and safe and home, and his throat is thick and his eyes are burning and his heart is full and he’s feeling too much, too much, it’s not possible to feel this much, he’s going to pass out or something.

They stay holding each other for what feels like a long time and no time at all – is this what it’s like to be in love? To have time warp all weird? Tobio feels like he’s holding the most precious thing in the world in his arms, like Hinata Shouyou is the sun and moon and stars and every treasure, like his incandescent little friend is going to give him the literal power to fly. His beautiful little laugh is muffled against Tobio’s sweater, and he needs to _see his face_ so he pulls away to look at him, cheeks flushed and eyes shining with blinding joy.

“Your heart’s beating really fast,” Hinata grins, pressing a palm against the center ofTobio’s chest. The touch makes him feel like he’s going to burst out of his body, like he really is flying. There’s nothing in the world but Hinata Shouyou’s _face_ and how could he _ever_ have made him cry, how could he _ever_ have said to him he didn’t need him, there’s nothing in the world he needs but _him_ …

“I want to kiss your smile,” Tobio says, and then cringes because it sounds weird, but clearly Hinata doesn’t mind because he grins even wider and leans in. Tobio leans in as well, and first their noses bump together, and then they can’t figure out which way to lean, and then Hinata’s still grinning so widely that Tobio’s lips make contact with Hinata’s teeth, and that startles them both so much that they jerk back, and then they move in again and their noses bump _again._ “Okay, you’re a shitty kisser,” he says and then groans inwardly: why is he _still_ talking shit to Hinata – to Shouyou? They just _confessed_ to each other, for crying out loud! Can’t he control his stupid mouth?

Shouyou, as he always does, bless him, takes it in stride. “Like you’re any better, Bakageyama.” He pulls away. “I sucked at volleyball, too, but I got better when I practiced.”

Tobio blinks. “D-does that mean we need to practice?”

There’s that blinding grin again. “So we can get better.” Shouyou leans in. “Our quick got better, didn’t it?”

This time they know enough to lean in slowly, and they manage to tilt their heads in the right directions and when their lips brush it’s like the pieces of something broken fitting back together. He needs to be close, closer, and he reaches out and gathers Shouyou’s slight figure in, pressing him as close as he can get, tenderly cupping the back of his head with one hand. It’s too much and he’s dizzy and he can’t stop…

“FINALLY!” comes a yell from the door to the gym. They startle apart, heads whipping around. Nishinoya-san is standing in the doorframe, Tanaka-san grinning next to him. Noyassan pumps his fists in the air. “Woohoo! Congratulations, you two!” He turns to Tanaka-san. “I win! You owe me an ice-cream!”

“What?!” Tanaka-san jerks back. “ _You_ owe _me_ an ice-cream! It’s _been_ two months!”

“No, it hasn’t!” Noyassan whips out his phone. “Look!” He scrolls through something. “Here’s the calendar… they had the fight – I marked it _here_ , and today is the 26th…”

Tanaka-san puts his head close to Noyassan’s, both staring at the small screen. “Shit, you may be right. You might have won at that. Scroll back a month… no, tap here...”

Tobio stares at them open-mouthed. “You were…”

“…taking _bets_ on us kissing?” Shouyou finishes.

“Getting together,” Noyassan says without looking up from his phone. “Didn’t have to be kissing.”

“After your fight,” Tanaka-san says, also without looking up from Noyassan’s phone. “It was obvious then.”

“And you’ve been pining for like ages,” Noyassan chimes in, holding the device steady. “It was only a matter of time.”

“Inevitable,” Tanaka-san intones wisely.

Tobio feels his face chill, then heat, even though Noyassan’s gone back to congratulating him and Tanaka is saying something about true love conquering all. He turns away, bracing himself on the floor to get up and go somewhere more private. But Hinata, a determined smirk on his face, looks from their friends in the doorway to Tobio, and reaches out to palm his cheek, moving in closer. “We need to _practice,”_ he says.

Tobio’s skin prickles. He’s never been loud and rowdy like some guys, or even bright and outgoing like Hinata. He’s not _like_ that. He’s not… His eyes flicker to Noyassan and Tanaka-san in the doorway, now grinning with unmistakable friendship and yelling to “go for it!” accompanied by thumbs-up signs.

On the other hand, he’s never had a Shouyou, friends, or even a team to call _his team_ before. Screwing up his courage, he leans in for another kiss. Like Hinata says, practice makes perfect.

* * *

From: Hinata Shouyou

To: Oikawa Tooru

_I don’t know what you told Kageyama-kun, but thank you._

“The fuck?” Iwaizumi says as he reads over Oikawa’s shoulder. “You’re taking credit for what _I_ did!”

Oikawa just smirks. “Chibi-chan recognizes wisdom when he sees it.”

“Wisdom, my ass! I’m the one who told Kageyama-kun he even _liked_ him!”

“Well clearly Kageyama-kun remembered _my_ advice.”

“Your _grandstanding_.”

“Rude!”

Tooru’s phone buzzes again and he brings it up slyly, expecting a thank you message from Tobio-kun, but frowns when it’s not from that crow.

From: Daichi Sawamura

To: Oikawa Tooru

_What the hell did you say to my setter and my middle? They won’t stop making out! And they say it’s all because of you!_

Tooru sucks in a breath. Tone is usually lost in transmission when it comes to texting, but he knows that Daichi is upset. Tooru can _feel_ the frown on Daichi’s face. He shivers and types back quickly:

From: Oikawa Tooru

To: Daichi Sawamura

_It was Iwaizumi’s idea!!!_

From: Daichi Sawamura

To: Oikawa Tooru

_Nice try. I better not see you around._

Iwa-chan snorts loudly, patting Tooru on the shoulder and walking away. “Nice going,” he says.

“Iwa-chan! You gotta tell Daichi-san it was your idea! I don’t want to be on Daichi-san’s bad side!”

 _“Nobody_ wants to be on Daichi-san’s bad side,” says Iwaizumi, unimpressed. “That’s what you get for stealing credit.”

“I didn’t _steal_ credit! Iwa-chaaaaan!”

  
  



End file.
